A Twisted world
by Tolleren
Summary: Camelot has fallen and there is nothing left other than to run, hoping a brighter future is before them than the death and destruction they left behind. Pre series AU. Royal!Merlin
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**AN: This is unbeta'ed and written on my mobile. I will update the chapters with corrected ones - and continue - if anyone is interested. Enjoy.**

***Update* Thanks to my beta Blackbandit111 for the great help ****J**

**I don't own Merlin**

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A horn sounded behind them as they stumbled through the undergrowth. The howls that followed couldn't have been any more foreboding, even if they had come from the Black Hound itself. Shouts echoed in the surrounding cliffs and made it nearly impossible to pinpoint a direction. Instead they just continued to run blindly forwards, unsure if they headed towards freedom or into a trap.

Soon the sound of hoofbeats and victory yells coming from in front of them made it clear that they were headed for the last of the two, and that drove them back, deeper into the woods.

They zigzagged through the trees, nearly tripping when they looked over their shoulders, dreading what they would see. No thoughts filled their heads, only their instinctual need to survive driving their hurting legs to continue and the will to ignore their burning lungs' wish for a break. Until, finally, the sound of their hunters disappeared, only leaving the silence of the woods and their thundering heartbeat behind, and they both collapsed to the ground.

The many weeks of being hunted like animals had taught them to push their body past their limits, and thereby they outlived things that should have been impossible, but it all came with a price. They were both sickly thin and together with their ruined clothes, once rich and colourful, now covered in dirt and grime, made it look like they were wandering scarecrows.

"What now?" The first one asked as he had finally regained his breath.

The other one just shook his head.

After several tense minutes he stood up, swaying a little on his still unstable legs. He ran a hand through his golden hair with a sigh. "We need to rest. Find some food." He looked around and gestured to their surroundings. "I will scout the area to see if I can find some water."

He started to walk away when the other man stopped him.

"Arthur"

He turned back around slowly. His friend's tone was soft, but his eyes shone with determination.

"It was his own choice."

Arthur shook his head; in denial or something else his companion wasn't sure.

"He was still one of my men, still my responsibility!" Arthur countered.

"Sir Ethan chose to give his life for you. It is what knights are trained to do; protect their leader!"

Arthur looked at his last standing knight. Sir Leon, only a few years older than Arthur, had been his father's first knight for years. He was a skilled fighter and a loyal friend. He had even been the one to teach Arthur swordplay until the young prince finally beat his teacher, where the knight had been the first to congratulate his student with a proud smile, which later encouraged Arthur to trust himself every time a new problem arose.

This time, though, he knew it wouldn't be enough.

"I'm not that anymore."

Then he turned around again, and quickly let the forest hide him from his friend's disappointed gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**An: Thanks for the support. People seem to like the story, so I will finish it. Again – will be corrected when my Beta gets the time.**

**I usually write 'long' chapters (2-5.000 words) but I wanted to try shorter chapters – but with more action/not so many details. ****I hope I succeeded? :)**

*** Updated. Beta: BlackBandit111**

**I don't own Merlin**

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The next day was spent sneaking though the very same woods they had run through yesterday.

They hadn't seen any signs of neither horse nor hound the whole day, but they wouldn't take any chances and had decided to cover their tracks before doing anything else.

There wasn't much they could do. They had blindly thrown themselves through the bushes, and their chosen path was easy to follow.

They could cover up their footsteps, but broken twigs and crushed plants weren't easy to hide. Instead they gave up and stated to create new tracks instead.

An hour later the forest was filled with different trails crossing each other, circling around trees only to suddenly end as they had jumped up into the trees or backtrack to their starting point.

They would be lying if they had said they hadn't been laughing in all the madness. They were nearly sad that they wouldn't see how the dogs would run around whining while their trackers would get more frustrated every second. As a last touch they smeared some blood from a freshly caught rabbit on their hands and feet, hoping they could cover up the last remaining stench.

As they finally were on the road again it was with a better mood than they had had in days. Hope filled their hearts once more, death momentary forgotten, and there was a new lightness in their steps that hadn't been there before.

The sun was shining from a light blue sky and that itself was a difference from the grey rainy days and cold autumn nights they had had before. It was as if Mother Nature was laughing together with them.

The sky was beginning to darkening by the time they broke free from the thick forest and laid eyes on the first village in days.

"Where do you think we are?" Leon asked, but Arthur didn't have an answer. He only knew they were north of Camelot. A great many smaller kingdoms laid up here, but as they were too weak to be any threat and had no important products to trade with, he had never been in any of them, and knew too little to be able to point out which of them they had ended in. And so he ended up just giving a shrug.

In the village the farmers were slowly arriving back from the fields, but drunken laughter could already be heard from the local tavern.

A warm meal and a tankard of mead sounded like heaven after living for weeks on half-raw meat as it had been too dangerous to light a real fire.

They decided to try their luck. They had no money, only a single rabbit-skin, and even as they had tried to wash up a little in a nearby stream, only so much could be done without a prober bath and clean clothes.

As they entered most of the men, not used to many new visitors, looked up. Suspicion was evident in their eyes, and a hush fell over the crowd.

"Hu a' ye strangers 'sturb'n me tav'n?"

The question came from the barkeeper, his breath tainted with ale and something that smelled a little like what you would find in a pigsty, and Arthur suddenly wondered if coming here had been such a good idea after all.

Arthur had to blink once at the strange accent; it sounded like the man had something stuck in his throat. Arthur forced a smile on his face and tried to relax his tense shoulders. To the right Leon did the same, but with much more success in Arthur's opinion.

"We are simply travellers wishing for a little to strengthen us on, before we continue on our way." He tried to say it in a dismissive and calm tone, but was unsure if it worked.

Leon shifted his stance slightly beside him, and the barkeeper narrowed his eyes, but led them to a table.

As they sat down, Arthur could feel eyes on his back and turned his head as discreetly as possible. There was only one table, occupied by four cloaked people. None of them seemed interested in him; instead they were whispering together. Maybe they were druids? – Arthur had often heard his farther talking about them. _"Be careful out there, son. The druids live out in those woods. They only bring death and destruction wherever they go." "They are practicing the devil's work; only the flames can save their souls …" "Magic corrupts even the most innocent child; always remember that"_

Surely they could use magic to watch them without really looking? He had heard they could read ones thoughts.

Arthur shuddered and turned back towards Leon.

Not long after they had been fed with good broth and given a warm drink, they had begun to relax once more.

Sadly, it didn't last long.

"Me mon'y?" The barkeeper grumbled from behind the former prince. Arthur definitely didn't jump; he was merely a little ... Startled was all.

Arthur slowly turned his head, the easy smile on his face so big it hurt.

"Well we-"

"No mon'y!?" A few of the other costumers had now again taken an interest in their conversation.

Before either Leon or Arthur could do anything more, the barkeeper had nodded to a few other big men and the two friends soon found themselves surrounded and dragged outside, the barkeeper following close behind.

They were pushed to ground by two of the men, and held there. The barkeeper walked up before them and gave them a dark grin. Not for the first time Arthur wished they hadn't lost their swords; it would be much more difficult to fight them without any kind weapon.

"I sho' ye wha' wi do to pe'pl th'nkin the' can trick me fo me mon'y."

Arthur looked at Leon and caught his gaze, giving him a silent messaged to wait until his signal. The men not holding them took a step closer, making ready to strike.

The man before Arthur lifted his arm back; Arthur tensed, waiting for the right moment, Leon following his example – and they were all interrupted by a new voice calling out to them.

"Can I help you with anything, my good men?"

Arthur opened his mouth slightly in shock – one of the cloaked people from the tavern stood before him. His friends standing protectively in a half circle behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Oh see – an update! :D**

**I have a little break before the exams start Monday, so I give you another chapter! (Will be updated with a corrected vision ASAP)**

**Thanks for the support. Remember to review if you have any good advice/or otherwise something you wish to share :)**

***Updated: Beta: Blackbandit111**

**I don't own Merlin**

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The barkeeper narrowed his eyes in anger, and his companions shifted a little to confront the possible new threat. Sadly, they still kept their main focus on the captives, so Arthur didn't dare try something before knowing whose side the cloaked strangers were on.

"Ye cu'd get out of me wai befor' –. " He stopped midsentence, his eyes widening and his skin turned a deadly pale, as the person, instead of answering or turning away, chose to reach up and lift his hood and exposing his face.

Arthur stared at the young man standing before him - two crystal blue eyes looked back, a strange fire burning within them.

The barkeeper began to stutter something incomprehensible until the blue-eyed man tossed him a back of gold coins which the barkeeper caught. "Will that be enough?" The barkeeper quickly bobbed his head up and down, before he and his henchmen all hurried back into the tavern, but not without first giving Arthur a death-glare over the shoulder, making it quite clear that the two former knights should never come back.

"Well …" the blue-eyed stranger turned towards the two former knights, "that was very close, my friend!" He shot Arthur a big grin, making him look younger than he had first appeared. Arthur frowned.

"I don't know you …"

"Of caurse not – we have never met before, though …"

"… and still you called me 'friend'?!" Arthur finished with a snort. The stranger just looked a little confused.

"Well, I was trying to be nice … But if you are too much of an arse to see that …"

Arthur gave a strangled snort in surprise. No one had ever spoken to him in that way, and now the stranger just stood there and insulted him … He really was beginning to get tired of this town. They should have stayed back in the woods.

He turned around and signalled to Leon to do the same. He would away from there as quickly as possible, before he decided to hit the strange and caused a scene.

Sadly the stranger didn't think the same.

"Hey!"

Running steps followed him, but he didn't turn to look. He sped up his step.

An arm caught his arm and turned him around. Once again was Arthur face to face with the young stranger.

The man shook his head at him. "If you don't want to thank me for saving your ungrateful backside, the least you can do is to tell me your name!" The possible druid said, while simultaneously lifting an eyebrow.

Arthur blinked rather surprised. His name? He couldn't tell this potential magic-user his name! He opened his mouth to say exactly that, when he discovered that the stranger's attention was no longer directed to his answer but instead on the arm he had grabbed, or rather, the hand attached to it.

Arthur followed his gaze and cursed inside his head. Why did everything just go wrong these days?

On his middle finger sat, for everyone to see, his royal seal.

He had forgotten to take it off before they went into the tavern. The ones who hunted them before already knew his identity, and he was therefore not used to hiding it. He just hoped the stranger wouldn't recognize it.

For a few seconds no one moved. Then the stranger slowly lifted his gaze and stepped back.

"Well, well, seems we have gotten a prince to accompany us."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Sorry, I just realised I had uploaded the wrong chapter! – Here is the real one.**

**Beta: BlackBandit11**

**All chapters are now corrected.**

**I don't own Merlin**

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Arthur stared, unblinking, at the dusty path before him. The strangers were bantering and laughing with each other, undisturbed by the prisoners' silence. A few birds were singing in the bushes, and all in all everything radiated peace, something which made Arthur's mood even more sour; it wasn't like he thought it was very peaceful to be kidnapped or whatever the strange group had planned.

They weren't druids, that Arthur was sure of. After the revelation the evening before, it had gone from bad to worse. With one spoken word from the young dark haired man, they had found themselves suddenly unable to move. Not that they could have run either way, as the rest of the men drew bows and swords. Arthur didn't want to know what other weapons they could have hid under their cloaks.

Now, riding in daylight and without the cloaks covering most of them, the men looked like every other peasants Arthur had met in his life, if it hadn't been for the weapons slung over their shoulders or hanging by their sides. Their fine clothes and leather protected them from arrows and they all carried a confident air about them that Arthur recognized from the various knights and lords back in Camelot.

_Not bandits then either._

The horse Arthur and Leon currently sat on snorted and shook his head. The midday sun was making the flies more aggressive, and combined with the constant heat, made the journey a living hell for both men and horses. _At least am I not wearing my chainmail_, Arthur thought.

One of the men suddenly halted his horse and called out to the leader, "Maybe we should take a break?" The man in question looked over his shoulder, then at the sky, and nodded. Arthur could have sighed in relief; riding back to back with your friend while your hands were bound was _not _very comfortable.

The man who had 'offered' his horse to the two former knights lifted them off without batting an eye; Arthur would have protested but the shorthaired man reminded him of a big bear and he wisely chose not to comment.

While the horses were being watered, the giant showed Arthur and Leon to a spot under a tree before carefully untying their hands. "We will be watching," said the man while they were rubbing their sore wrists. The threat couldn't be more obvious.

"Could we get some water?" asked Leon as the man began to walk back; he nodded once and then joined his comrades.

Resting against the tree Arthur took a moment to relax and watch their captors, before addressing his friend.

"We need to get away from here," Arthur whispered. Leon nodded, but didn't look him in the eye. "What is it?" asked Arthur. The knight looked up, worry shining in his eyes.

"Maybe we should wait and see where they are taking us?"

"They are sorcerers! I don't _want_ to find out what they want with us!"

Leon nodded again and Arthur forced himself to calm down; he knew Leon had a hard time speaking his mind, a habit Arthur had tried to break on their flight through the woods, but now he was just making it harder for his only remaining friend.

"I ... What did you want to say?" he asked and grimaced; he wasn't good at apologizing at all, but Leon seemed to get his point because he gave him a little smile and continued.

"We haven't got any supplies and they are probably our best chance to find another village …"

It was Arthur's turn to nod; Leon had a fair point. Even if they both knew that they would have a problem getting supplies even if they found another village.

"Will you follow willingly this time, or do we have to bind your hands again?" The two men looked up at the dark haired man before them. Leon agreed quickly before Arthur had the time to reply, earning him sly grin in return. "This way, my lords," the man gestured towards the horses while giving a fake bow. "Maybe we have reached the point where we can get to know each other's names?"

"We will not give anything to you" Arthur growled.

The stranger rolled his eyes. "I know _yours_, Pendragon, I meant you civilized friend, but I suppose it doesn't matter. We need to hurry if we want to reach Glaslyn before the gates close …"

"Glaslyn?" Arthur shared Leon's confused look, he had never heard the name before either.

"Yes, Glaslyn Castle, The pearl of Norwallia."*****

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***The origins of the names used are explained on my profile**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Happy New Year! :D**

**Beta: BlackBandit11**

**I don't own Merlin**

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As they slowly made progress the land around them changed. Villages appeared, and though they never went close, the party was greeted by farmers working in the fields and travellers nodding as they passed them by. Arthur felt uneasy every time. It wasn't how peasants usually greeted strangers. He had seen that first hand when he and Leon came into the tavern. He wasn't stupid or scared, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach only intensified. His suspicion that the people who had captured them were important was again confirmed.

He wanted to talk it over with Leon. The older knight would maybe be able to confirm his suspicions on the matter, but one of the men had ridden up beside them and cornered the knight with small talk. As the only one of his group, the smiling man had introduced himself as Gwaine, trying to coax Leon to reveal his own name. Leon refused, while managing to keep the tone calm and polite in a way Arthur could never speak to the enemy.

Gwaine wasn't giving up though, and just smirked at him before beginning to tell tales from trips he had made to various taverns all around the five kingdoms. This made the big man leading Arthur and Leon's horse turn around and quip, "yes, Gwaine; the conqueror of taverns and every tavern keepers fear."

The other men from the group joined in with the laughter as Gwaine tried to cuff the large man over the head and nearly fell down from his horse as the larger man ducked out of the way.

Arthur just crossed his arms and scowled at their banter.

The woods had disappeared as the fields began to take over, and where no corn grew, green hills filled the terrain around them.

Hours went by and the party began to speed up as the sun slowly sank on the sky and its light changed colour. They were suddenly met by the sound of a river. The dark haired man stopped his horse and shouted over his shoulder, "Home!" His men cheered and shared his smile.

Merlin nodded to Gwaine and the knight grinned back, spurring his horse into a canter with a shout and disappearing down the road, towards the roaring waters. The dark haired man rolled his eyes and gestured towards the rest to follow, but at a much safer speed.

The road went besides a steep hill and when they rounded the next corner they suddenly had the river before them. The water glittered like gemstones and even Arthur couldn't deny its beauty. He wasn't as happy though, when he discovered that their formerly large road, with enough space for three riders to ride besides one another, now was so small that they had to dismount and lead the horses behind them.

The river had been born in the end of the last ice time and over a span of thousands of years had eaten its way into the hills around it. That had created the cliff Arthur was currently walking on, and was now threatening to wash them away should they lose their footing.

The strangers didn't care and just continued to throw banter at each other, and Arthur kept his face a mask and refused to look down at the roaring water. _Never show weakness_.

The path continued to wind around the hill towards the top. Arthur got a feeling of being watched that made it prickle at his neck. He looked around and scanned the edges and caves of the cliff. Some of the caves were several meters wide, and even if no paths let to them Arthur was sure humans could have found a way in. No one was there though; they were completely alone. And still he knew someone or _something_ was watching their every move.

When they reached the other side and the path widened out once more, Arthur gave a small sigh of relief. It quickly turned into an annoyed huff when he saw that another path joined them from the north.

"We could have gone the other way around!?"

The dark haired leader turned around and frowned, "well, yes, but that would mean another hour of riding." Then he smirked, "afraid of heights, Pendragon?"

Arthur glared. "Of course not!"

The young man's grin didn't falter as he turned back to path as a sand-coloured castle rose up before them.

Glaslyn.

The drawbridge was slowly lowered as they neared, and the party was greeted at the gates by a regiment of soldiers that had waited for them on the other side. The soldiers escorted them through the lower town - so much like Camelot's, Arthur noted. With the obvious difference being that some of the people greeted them by using magic to summon birds and flowers. _Maybe that had changed in Camelot too now._

All the houses were built of the same stone as the walls and castle. They seemed very fragile, like they would collapse if too big a bird chose to rest on the roof, but Arthur somehow doubted it. The road of soil turned into one of cobblestone and they were let into the inner courtyard.

Again it reminded Arthur of Camelot, but at the same time it was very different. The courtyard was small and round. In the middle was a beautiful well with stone birds sitting on it. Around it was a bed of purple heather*, giving a mild scent of spring in the air. A plant Arthur knew came from very high up North.

They were stopped behind the well, right in front of double doors leading into the castle. Stable boys ran from a side road and took the reins from the men, who were still quietly talking with each other. The dark haired man looked up at Arthur and nodded to the broad-shouldered man who had led their shared horse. The others in the group disappeared into the crowd.

The bigger man came over to stand behind them and the dark-haired man gestured for them to follow. The men seemed very familiar with the castle's structure, and combined with the greeting from the people and the fact that no one had bothered stop them from entering, confirmed Arthur's theory; they were probably knights, even if no one wore a cape or chain mail.

They were led down one long corridor after the other, all deserted; Arthur wondered why. They met Gwaine on the way. He grinned at them and called over his shoulder, "remember not to get stuck down there. We will keep a spot for you!"

"Keep some ale too!" The man behind them shouted after Gwaine.

"No promises!"

When they finally came to the throne room, Arthur had to swallow. The room reminded him strongly of Camelot; it may have been a little smaller, a little more grey, and instead of the red tapestries of Camelot dark greens hung about with the design of a white, snakelike dragon holding a druid spiral symbol. Despite this, it still looked so much like the home they had left behind.

Arthur managed to take it all in before his gaze was drawn to the middle of the room. Three large chairs stood in a half circle around a round table. They were all carefully carved out of oak, with spirals, runes and plants curling around each other, but they were too small to be called thrones even if that was what Arthur assumed they were. They all seemed empty at first, but when he looked closer he could make out a dark shadow on one of the armrests. The shadow twisted and stretched like a cat. Two golden dots looked at them; the eyes only half open as the creature yawned, a little flame escaping between its sharp teeth.

The dragon crooked its head to the side and regarded him with a huff of black smoke. Arthur stared back in wonder. He had been told all his life that the dragons and their lords had long since died out. The dragon snapped his gaze to the side when a voice rose from the right side of the room.

"It's good to see you home again, son."

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* I don't know if heather exist/existed in Great Brittan and I can't find it anywhere either. If anyone know please tell! :)


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